Lost Words
by Sunfalling
Summary: My strange YuGiOh poetry from the view points of different characters on the show. Mostly pretty sad. Poems from Seto, Yami Bakura, Yami Yugi, Mai, and now Joey.
1. Wanderer

I just scribbled down this Seto angst poem during lunch last Tuesday, and I have a strong desire to share it. I have some more ides for poems on other characters and events in the show, so if you like this one, watch out for more. Please tell me what you think of these poems because I need to improve my writing.

**What I Have**

Stumbling down

another cold path,

alone and hurting.

the pavement is dark with my anger.

no one but him to live for.

_must keep walking_

i am cold. he is cold.

i am hungry, he looks at me silently.

must protect him, my reason for life… 

Move the pieces

_i don't want to be cold anymore_

Knight captures Bishop

_i don't want to be poor _

Advance the Pawns

_i don't want to be helpless _

Queen takes Rook

_i don't want to be hungry _

Isn't that Checkmate?

_i don't want to be without him_

We live in a mansion, now, with a hundred rooms

We live with an army of one hundred servants.

You can have anything you want here

A hundred score,

_except for freedom_

_except for escape_

_i have no money_

But I have scars.

_i have no mother_

But I have pain.

_i give him his designs,_

his programs and his gadgets.

_i wait for my reward_, the highlight of his day:

a generous salary of cuts and bruises

a lovely helping of pain and torment,

a heaping blessing of curses and kicks

_he can hurt me_

_he can taunt me_

I stand without a word,

burning over in my agony.

_he can destroy me_

_but he will _not_ touch my brother_

I do what he says

_i build what he wants_

but when he threatens my last reason for life

i will end him 

"What are you doing?" he asks me

"What do you think you can do?" 

his eyes are hard as rocks;

he watches me, smiling with his broad face.

I observe his eyes go wide, 

and then shrink smaller, as they get further away.

he had already hit bottom, as far as being human

_how far can one man fall?_

I only helped him hit the pavement.

No longer searching or wandering, now,

i live in a mansion with a hundred rooms

i order the lives of a hundred servants

i have money

i have power

i have my brother

Who am I now?

Champion Duelist, Master of the Blue Eyes

Company CEO, Multi-millionaire

Technical Wizard, Executive Genius

mokuba laughs and holds up an ice cream cone.

_before my eyes, it melts in the sun_.

before my eyes, everything sweeps away.

unexpectedly defeated in a duel, I ponder my losses,

wolves scramble to devour my company,

_and then he is gone_

flown away on the wings of the mythical horse

to an island where a monster dwells.

_you took my money_

_you took my power_

_you took him_

wandering, searching

down another cold path,

alone and hurting

_how far can one man fall?_

the sand is black with my anger

_i don't want to be lost anymore_

I am tired and chilled to the bone

_must find mokuba, my reason for living_

Someone asked me once… 

_At the end of the day_

_ what do you have?_


	2. Tomb Robber

            Yami Bakura poem!  This is about his life as a tomb robber in ancient Egypt.  The pharaoh is supposed to be Yami Yugi, but I don't know much about his past life, so this might not fit him at all.  Yami Bakura is being sarcastic through most of this (imagine him saying with a sneer on his face), but I feel a weird connection with him.  Hmmm… Well, tell me what you think. **            Macavity:** I will try to write a poem from Yami Yugi's POV next, but he's just not as interesting to me as some of the other characters.  I'm not sure why.  I will definitely have more Seto poems, but I feel obligated to do other characters first. *grumble grumble* **      The Pharaoh in Death**

Gold glittering in the light of my torch

Strands of jewels draped over your coffin. 

I look at your mask of pounded gold,

the painted eyes, the regal mouth…

But when I lift the lid

Who will I find?

Who is underneath

the ornately molded mask?

_A shriveled up man, twisted in_

_endless lengths of fine linen._

In your life you were great;

You had power and glory.

Everyone worshipped you;

the son of the gods,

the sun of the Two Lands

Eat your dainty sweetmeats,

Oh Great Pharaoh.

Paint your purple eyes

with dark rims,

Stroke your Persian silks,

and your small, winking jewels.

Who would dare insult you?

He shall die.

Who might offend you?

He will suffer.

Destroy you enemies, Great Pharaoh,

Wipe them out, with the magic

that flows from the shadows.

You are a king among kings

A master of mages

_Who is greater than you, oh Pharaoh,_

_ugly, withered, dead one?_

I sat on the steps of the temple, one day,

and watched you parade down the street

the courageous young pharaoh, the powerful warrior.

The commoners sit in the dry, yellow dust

while you ride above your litter, adorned with gold.

I would spit in your face

_But it is not worth my head._

I look now at your empty, dry body,

stiff and fleshless in the glittering sarcophagus,

surrounded by priceless treasures

to aid the pharaoh in his journey through the afterlife.

I take what I want from your dragon's hoard,

picking out the things I like the best.

Will Ra strike me down? 

Will the guardians of the dead

put a blight on my soul?

You are nothing but a cold husk,

_like the worthless, empty shell that the child tosses into the sand_

_as he rolls the sweet nut in his mouth,_

A disgusting, yellowed corpse, stored in a pretty box.

Oh Great Pharaoh!

Lowering my torch, I light your body afire

_and watch you burn_,

stinking and hissing as the flames devour

whatever is left of my powerful, glorious king.

Oh Great Pharaoh!

For all your glory in life

And honor in death

What are you now?


	3. Dark Spirit

            Wrote this at lunch again.  For those who are waiting, next _See Seto Run_ chap will be up Thursday or the weekend.

            Okay well, this is a sappy poem from Yami's perspective thinking about Yugi.  No yaoi, just friendship.  This was actually pretty easy to write but it sounds a lot like some of the fics I've read on this site, so beware: lack of originality.  I'm not sure what _hikari_ and _aibou_ mean for sure, but I've seen them a lot and can guess their meaning.  Read and enjoy.

Little Hikari 

Sometimes I wonder

what if some other mortal

pieced together my puzzle…

would I be taller?

would I be stronger?

would I have more power?

My aibou is a schoolchild

He is the shortest in his class

In my past life

I commanded armies;

kings groveled at my feet.

I rode my chariot like fire

Through the cheering masses.

Here I play video games

I watch tv,

I listen to the gossip of his friends,

And study for math tests.

Sometimes I wonder…

What if Pegasus was my hikari,

Or Kaiba,

Or even Tristan?

Would I possess the power I crave?

But then I watch him,

My little aibou

Touching his cards

With the very tips of his fingers.

I watch him sleep peacefully

and awake full of joy.

He cries so easily

and laughs so quickly.

His friends are life to him

as my power was to me.

He saved his grandfather,

I saved the world.

But are we really that different,

My aibou and I?

We both watch the sun rise

and glow with our happiness.

We duel in the arena

and thrill with our wins.

I hold much pride,

He holds much love.

Could it be my hikari

knows more than I?

He looks up with wide eyes

to my fierce face

He says without

a single trace of fear,

_Well Yami,_

_I'm glad to call you_

_my friend_


	4. Stargazer

Mikazuki no Hikari:  I really meant no disrespect to Yami!  He's a great character!  It's just harder for me to get into his head and that's what my poems are all about.  Some people feel a stronger connection with a character than others.  I write best about things I care a lot about (like Seto!).

And thanks to everyone who took the time to tell me what hikari and aibou mean.

Okay, I wrote this poem from Mai's POV.  She deserves a little recognition.  Anyway, this takes place after she storms out of the campsite with the Yugioh gang and goes to look out at the sky before her duel with Panik.

***The Way I Want***

The night is cold in its beauty,

distant, dark and quiet.

I hate quiet.

_Where I belong is in the crowd,_

_in the laughter,_

_in the press of young bodies,_

_hearing the endless words pouring_

_from many lips_

_meaningless, but constant,_

_laughing at meaningless, constant words_

_There, music pounds in my brain._

_I walk with confidence_

_among the roving eyes,_

_knowing that_

_how I look_

_how I walk_

_draws the eyes to me alone._

But here there are no eyes

no music

no laughter

no meaningless words.

I feel the wind in my hair.

Far away, voices echo

from the people around the campfire,

friendly and happy.

But I don't want to hear them.

_I can blend into a group_

_or stand out among them_

_like a bright koi_

_among the gray minnows._

_But I don't know the people_

_who make up the crowds._

_They are only mindless drones_

_following each other in endless circles_

_always wanting_

_never getting enough_

I don't need friends,

they drag me down.

I am first a skilled duelist

and then a an independent woman.

I get what I want

_the way I want._

They think I'm a silly girl,

who wears slutty clothes

and plays stupid tricks.

But I am strong

I am determined

I get what I want

_the way I want_

without any friends.

The voices by the campfire

have ceased at last.

I wonder what they're doing now,

Yugi and his friends.

The wind pulls my hair

gently before

whipping it fast

against my face.

The stars hurt my eyes

with their sharpness

and their silence.

_Too much silence_

I hate quiet. 


	5. Fallen Champion

Another Seto poem!  Yes, he's just such a source of angst and hurt, I can't help but write sad poetry about him.  I'm sure plenty of people have manipulated this scene already, but I never seem to have original ideas.  Please tell me what you think.

Decision 

Standing on the stone,

_the cold, hard stone_,

the wind whips my coat,

_burns against my eyes._

Before me, a hundred thousand

floating furballs.

Beside me, the dragon,

_the Ultimate Dragon_

blue and silver and white.

Three shining heads

rise against the sky,

snarling in my fury,

helpless in my rage.

Behind his furballs,

the smirking boy

holds up a card between his fingers

laughing in our helplessness,

mocking our rage

Oh, you are so clever,

So efficient and quick.

_"The Ultimate defense!"_

You cry in your triumph.

The wind is harder

than the cold stone beneath me.

But you have no card strong enough

to win this duel.

Nothing can hurt my great, shining beast.

Your violet eyes are gaudy and false.

You draw a card and laugh again.

Oh, little Yugi, so lucky and clever…

_I can't believe what you have done!_

The skeleton monster charges my dragon

burning it up, blossoming with corruption

eating away at the core of my monster

like a plague

like an evil sickness

rapidly rotting my shining, silver beast

Another blast from the dragon

fills the world with blue light

but the furballs reproduce

faster than bacteria

faster than a virus subduing life.

Nothing can stop it

Falling into a mindless panic,

a helpless rage…

_I hate you, Yugi._

I hate your self-righteous quest.

Save your grandpa?

What about Mokuba, Yugi?

You think your feeble old man

is more important than my brother?

Who decides life and death? 

Who gives you the right to call _me _

heartless and cold

while you destroy the only chance I have

to save my little brother?

Clenching my body,

I watch them multiply

while my dragon melts

like ice in the sun.

Once again, failing

Once again, powerless.

Helpless rage.

Mokuba…

_imprisoned, alone_

_soulless, empty…_

What have I done for this?

Why does this happen?

Once again, trapped.

Once again, losing.

_"Where are you, big brother?"_

his small voice cries.

The furballs surround me,

suffocating and foolish,

cooing endlessly

while my dragon drips away,

bit by bit.

Helpless rage.

Now everything around me is melting,

rotting and stinking.

Decaying before my eyes.

I am melting inside,

weak and horrid.

My brother drowns quickly

in the slippery muck,

flailing violently, screaming my name.

I watch him with empty eyes,

paralyzed with morbid fascination.

Why can't I save him?

What have I done for this?

What has _he_ done for this?

Out of me runs

a tall, young boy,

trying to reach my brother,

running in vain.

Mokuba is gone

because of my failure.

_"You're rotten to the core, Seto!"_

he shouts in my face,

clenching his hands,

shaking with grief.

I am decaying so fast now,

I can hardly think,

or feel any pain.

There is nothing inside me

but weakness and corruption

and now it flows out,

leaving emptiness behind.

The tall boy looks at me

as I sink into the ooze,

angry and hurting,

forever alone,

his clear blue eyes drowning

in a helpless rage.

Unexpectedly… the world clears away again 

and I stand numb with shock.

Yugi glares impatiently

His friends babble about my weakness,

gawking like people at a zoo.

Yugi rubs a thumb over his next card

and watches me confidently.

I find myself somewhere, my cold, hard self.

I find a choice somewhere, a cold, hard choice.

_How much will you risk, Yugi?_

_How far will you go?_

I've already lost everything.

There is nothing holding me back.

_Somewhere inside me, the tall boy smiles._

The stone is very hard, but the wind is harder

_Step back, step back, step back._

The wind is fire in my eyes.

Yugi stares at me in disbelief

as I stand on the edge of everything.

Who decides life and death? 

The difference between us is glaring.

Yet, in a way,

we both want the same thing.

_How much will you risk, for it Yugi?_

_How far do you dare to go?_

Somewhere inside me, the blue-eyed boy laughs


	6. Amateur

            A poem from Joey's perspective about his duel with Seto at the Duelist Kingdom.  This isn't one of my best pieces and it could probably use some more work.  I wanted to end it with him getting up all fired up and defiant, but I think I'm getting addicted to angst. 

Note:  In case you didn't know, Joey and Tristan _did_ bully Yugi in the first series of the show, before they became friends with him.

_In the Dirt_

I used to knock him down

for fun

to see his little face

get all scrunched up and scared

I used to take pieces

of that puzzle,

the yellow puzzle

and throw them out

and laugh with Tristan

as he scrambled

to gather them

in his shaking hands

But now,

the sight of his face

all scrunched up and scared

makes me want to hit

makes me want to hurt

whoever did this to him

If the rich jerk used fists

Yugi could stand up to him

but he uses words,

hard, sharp, cutting words

breaking him down,

hurting his spirit,

before turning away

with blinding arrogance

I want to hurt him

but I grab his collar

and look into those

narrow, mean eyes

he's not scared,

he's not even mad

_"Nice grip,"_

he sneers,

_"Let me show you mine."_

And before I can think

my hands scrape the dirt,

one twist of his wrist

and I'm spread on the ground.

everyone's talking

but all I can feel

is a deck of cards

in my pocket

pressing hard

against my hip.

It's easier to get up 

when you have a purpose

_"Break out your cards,"_

I tell him.

He laughs at me

and I want to smash

his smirking face in

Card after card

I play on the field.

all of them spin away

like leaves in the wind.

I thought I was good

I thought I was a winner

Mai and Rex,

they were tough,

but they fell to me.

I won.

I'm a good duelist

…right?

Amateur 

he calls me

whimpering dog 

I play card after card

watching in disbelief

as he mows them down,

tilting his head,

rolling his eyes,

bored to death.

Then I draw a dragon,

a red-eyed dragon

and victory bursts in my brain

as his beast smolders

and fades away.

Joey the winner is back.

I rub my palms,

scraped with dirt

from my fall.

Who's going to bite the dirt

this time?

He blinks at my pride

and cracks a half smile

_Moron_

his eyes say

_Idiot_

He sets a card down

like he doesn't even care

A silver-white beast

rises from the falling sparkles

and before I can speak

my dragon goes up in flames

The sound of my lifepoints

hitting zero

strikes a weakness inside me

and I can't stand anymore.

just like that

it's over

I lost.

My palms are in the dirt again,

I clench my eyes shut

as disgrace overwhelms me.

I won't cry.

I won't cry.

I kneel

on the hard, rough dirt,

scalded with shame,

limp with helplessness,

burning words continue to fall

and I can't deflect them,

can't stop the weakness

brokenness consumes me

I won't cry.

I won't cry.

Like a worthless puppet

tossed aside

like a piece of garbage

on the ground

I see the pity in their eyes

and the laughter in his.

_Amateur,_

_Idiot,_

_Loser,_

Joey the dog,

kneeling in the dirt


End file.
